PDQ: Pretty Darn Quick Blog

Burning the candle?

Chicago isn't the only school district these days facing an uproar over extending the school day. Fifteen months into contract talks, the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union still have not come to an agreement on extending the length of the teacher work day.

NCTQ's report found that Boston teachers have one of the shortest on-site required days around the country. Boston Superintendent Carol Johnson has made extending the school day a priority in contract talks, and even national American Federation of teachers President Randi Weingarten seems to be on board with the idea. The two are appearing together at Harvard's 2011 Expanding Learning Time Convening next week.

As part of the Occupy Boston encampment last week, some Boston teachers decided to hold a "grade in" to protest the public sentiment that teachers don't work enough. Surely many—if not most—teachers are putting in long days, working weekends grading papers and spending summers planning lessons. But if good teachers are already putting in these extended hours, then why the insult when it comes to putting it in writing?